Haneul looked up when someone knocked on the door. She thought it would be Yuri coming in to pester her about lunch. But it was only eleven. The person at the door turned out to be Luhan, Yuri's boyfriend of six years. Haneul wasn't close to Luhan. Then again she didn't think she was close to Yuri either but she was almost her best friend here in New York. So this visit was a surprise.

"Earth to Kim Haneul?" Luhan joked nervously. "Right. I was surprised. Sorry. Come on in" Haneul said getting up from her place. Luhan closed the door behind him and the two of them shook hands before sitting down again. It was formal and she noticed Luhan's uneasiness. She smiled, attempting to lighten the situation.

"What can I do for you Luhan?" she asked, putting her paperwork away and concentrating on him. "How well can you keep a secret?" he asked her. "My lips are sealed. I am assuming this is about Yuri?" she asked him directly. "Yeah. I thought you were the best person to come to. I took Tao's opinion and his friend's too, but I would trust a woman more in these matters" Luhan told her. Haneul raised an eyebrow. Bits and pieces were starting to make sense but she wanted Luhan to say it to confirm her suspicion.

"Okay" she agreed. Luhan checked to see if Yuri was anywhere in sight before fishing out a small blue velvet box. Haneul's eyes widened in surprise despite her subconsciously guessing what was in it. "What do you think?" he asked, opening the box to reveal a small ring inside. It was white gold and small diamonds arranged in the shape of a bigger diamond. Luhan had clearly spent a lot of money on it. But it was the thought behind it, the idea that Luhan and Yuri were ready to be engaged, married to each other that seemed to make everything surreal at the moment.

"She will love it. She would love anything you give her but she will love the ring" Haneul told him. Luhan smiled brightly, clearly relieved. Now that he had relaxed, she had noticed just how tense he was. "Did you get it sized?" she asked him. "Yeah. I had one of Yuri's old rings that still fit her. I took that along with me" he told her. "Oh. The one her grandmother gave her? She thought she lost it" Haneul remembered. Luhan's sheepish smile gave the secret away.

"I suppose you know what this means?" she asked him. "It's a huge responsibility I know. But I think we are ready for it" Luhan told her. "Good to know. Because if you get cold feet and pull a runaway groom, or hurt her in any other way, I will hunt you down and make you pay for it" she told him, in her no nonsense tone. "I would never let any harm come to her. Ever" he promised Haneul and she nodded, satisfied with the answer. She didn't have to worry because Luhan and Yuri were happy together and they could only be happier after this development. But she felt protective of her friend even though she would deny it if anyone asked later.

"Well, I should go. I still have to make reservations at this restaurant where I plan to propose. If Yuri asks, then tell her that Tao made me come here to convince you to go on that blind date he's been nagging you about for months" Luhan said with a conspiratorial grin. "It's been four months. Give up already!" Haneul groaned. Tao had been stubborn despite all her rejections. She would be glaring down at him the next time she met him alright. "I met the guy. He isn't half bad you know" Luhan told her. "Don't even try. I'll make Yuri work overtime the night of the dinner" Haneul threatened with a scowl. Luhan raised his hands in defeat and said nothing more on the matter.

"Thanks a lot though" he said, giving her a two finger salute before walking out of her office. Haneul shook her head. She went back to her paperwork but smiled when she looked up and saw Luhan steal a kiss before leaving and Yuri protesting about workplaces and propriety. She would be happy. She would love the ring and she would love the idea of being married to Luhan even more. Heck before she knew it, Yuri might even be settled in, traveling around the world with Luhan, them being insufferably cheesy even in company of others, a nice house, a dog and kids someday...

Haneul sighed at how silly she was being. She wasn't involved in the proposal but now that she knew the secret, she couldn't help be excited and happy too. There was a time when she might have had that...

She shook her head. Today wasn't about her. It was about Yuri and Luhan. She cleared away any plans she might have in the evening. She would watch a sappy romance movie and wait for Yuri's inevitable call. She would remember to give her her full attention. She would probably not get a word in anyways over an excited Yuri but she would be happy for her friend.

She would be happy.

"How goes the writing?" Tao asked. Kyungsoo had talked to him a few days ago, telling him that Jongin had a horrible writer's block. The other man had all but begged him to make Jongin write something. anything so that Kyungsoo could convince the chief editor that something was in the works and they didn't need to cut Kim Jongin off and lose his book deals. His phone vibrated. It was a message from Yuri but he swiped it away without reading it. She was out for dinner with Luhan and she would be fine if he didn't reply for a while.

"It's bad. I have no muse and nothing I write seems satisfactory to me" Jongin told him, take a sip of his drink. "That happens to me some times you know. Sometimes my designs or fabrics don't come out the way I thought they would in my head. So I totally get where you are coming from" Tao agreed. "Anything you make seems amazing" Jongin grunted disagreeing with the other man. "because you don't see the countless redraws, stressing over fabrics and colours and the right shade of cerulean to match. It's an art in itself and most of the times you don't get to redo a piece. You either get it or don't. At least with a book you have a delete key and you can always edit it" Tao pointed out.

Jongin nursed the lukewarm glass of scotch. He didn't intend to get drunk. That never helped him write. So he had ordered a glass of scotch an hour ago and let the ice melt in, warming the alcohol. He swirled it around before finishing it in a swig. Tao gave him a moment to think, choosing to go over his messages. His phone had been buzzing throughout the night.

"Oh my god, he did it!!" Tao exclaimed happily. Yuri had texted him bits and pieces in a rush and none of her words had made sense. It was followed by a picture of a familiar ring on her finger. Tao knew the design because Luhan had asked him for his opinion on it a week ago. He didn't need to though. It could only mean one thing. He texted her back instantly expressing his joy in smileys and capital letters, not necessarily in that order. Yuri promised he would be the one designing her wedding dress and signed off saying she needed to call Haneul.

"Do you remember Luhan? The guy who came to the studio a week ago with a ring to show?" Tao asked him. "Yeah. Vaguely. I guess he proposed?" Jongin hazarded a guess. Tao beamed with pride as he nodded. Jongin smiled despite himself. "Are you going to design the wedding dress?" Jongin asked. "Yes!" he exclaimed happily. "Yuri asked. Although I kind of knew she would. I was hoping. This will be the best wedding gown ever. So elegant and graceful that Kate Middleton's dressed would be ashamed. But I need to ask what fabric Yuri would like. Or what shade. She won't go for a pure white. But she's not a pearl satin kind of girl. Maybe chiffon or white taffeta. Is there even a white taffeta-?"

"I'm sure she would love it if it came from the heart" Jongin said warmly. It might be the alcohol or the good news that two other people in this world were definitely happy, but Jongin was in somewhat of a better mood now. It was probably Tao's excitement. The goddamned thing was infectious. And he didn't want his funk to ruin the mood. So he smiled along as Tao tried to make small talk but failed to keep topics around weddings from coming up. Jongin didn't mind. He was happy for his friend.

Haneul sighed as she turned the DVD player off. Romance movies were absolute crap. Maybe not all but she had the worst luck when it came to picking films. She grabbed her jacket and keys. She needed a drink. It was already ten and Yuri hadn't texted or called. That was strange. She couldn't help feel that something might have gone wrong. It was possible. It was always possible. Maybe Luhan had messed up the appointment. Maybe they had a fight before he could get to it. Maybe Yuri had said no because she wasn't ready. Either ways, this night could still go horribly wrong.

She took a deep breathe. Her phone started buzzing the moment she stepped out of the elevator. It had connected to the ground floor wifi. The wifi on her floor must be down, she realized. No wonder she hadn't received any messages. She received notifications for thirty messages at once, pictures included. She set the pictures for downloading and sifted through the messages. Some were spam, some from Tao and some from Yuri. She checked Tao's first. A smile began to form as she read about the designer fussing over the kind of material for the dress. She didn't need to read Yuri's message to know that Luhan had proposed. But she did any way.

She wanted to call Yuri but decided that she shouldn't disturb the newly engaged couple so late. She shot her a text, apologizing for not being able to reply earlier and demanding all details in office day after. Yuri could take a day off or two. She would manage without her for one working day. Since she was already out, she continued on her way to the convenience store. She grabbed a box of microwaveable food and a bottle of vodka. Ignoring the judgmental look on the cashier's face, she made her way back to her apartment.

She popped the bottle open when she realized that a day off would only be the beginning of it all. Haneul couldn't depend on Yuri for her personal stuff anymore. She had Luhan now. they were going to be married. She needed to out and stop taking Yuri's time. No random shopping hangouts. Yuri always dragged her along and Haneul secretly enjoyed them. But that luxury would be reserved for Luhan now. No late night calls because she shouldn't disturb them. She'd have to sit through hours of listening to her talk about Luhan and wedding preparations and happy futures together and Haneul would have to it up so that she didn't ruin their special days.

She poured herself a shot and mixed in orange juice. Journey of a thousand miles began with a step and what not. So she needed the shot. Maybe the entire bottle. She didn't know. She would be happy for her.

Woe is me
If we're not careful turns into reality

A/N - Sorry for the long wait!